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English Language Support

Primary School

English is the medium of communication and learning at the School and the mission of the Primary School EAL Department is to enable all children who are learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) to acquire the necessary language skills required for day-to-day participation as well as academic success in all aspects of the curriculum. We stream our EAL pupils into four categories: Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Classroom teachers use differentiation in lesson tasks to support EAL pupils and work in consultation with the EAL Department. EAL courses are delivered by a team of specialist language teachers and are adapted to ensure every pupil achieves his or her potential.

Senior School

Courses continue to diversify as our pupils progress in both age and ability. In KS3, EAL provision is offered to both first and second stage pupils. A wide range of teaching and learning opportunities, including withdrawal classes and supported mainstream classes, ensure that new pupils are quickly integrated and that our existing pupils continue to build on the excellent foundation provided by the Primary School language team.

The IGCSE ESL course is perfect for pupils who may initially find the KS4 curriculum challenging, and focuses on the essential language skills required across the curriculum. By the end of Year 11, the ESL pupils take the CIE (Cambridge International Examinations) examination and on successful completion progress through to the Sixth Form.

An area of our programmes that has expanded rapidly over the last three years is the KS5, Sixth Form, Academic Writing course which offers pupils an intensive high level language package, including analysis of various academic texts, and a focus on sophisticated structure and grammar. The writers work in small groups and are also offered one-to-one drop-in sessions. This is especially helpful when drafting the Extended and TOK essays.

We are proud of the fact that we offer courses that are unique and tailored specifically for our pupils, our school being the only one in Milan to offer Academic Writing.